On most days, the sight of motorcycles spinning doughnuts at 30 miles per hour would be cause for Evanston Police Department Lt. Dan Mangas to sound his sirens and interfere.

But this week, Mangas will be encouraging his officers to try similar stunts as they test their skills in a Motorcycle Unit Certification Course that challenges officers to steer their motorcycles in several difficult situations.

Mangas, EPD’s traffic commander, said the motorcycle’s ability to maneuver in tight alleys and on narrow terrains makes motorcycle officers a valuable asset to the department. He said more certified motorcycle officers can mean less crime and safer streets.

Eight officers from the EPD began the weeklong course Sunday in the parking lot of the Main Street Commons.

Two officers certified as instructors and one assistant began teaching five officers seeking qualification in a nationally recognized program, which is organized in conjunction with the Northwestern University Traffic Institute and Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

The course requires officers to make 360-degree spins and hair-pin turns at speeds reaching 40 miles per hour without losing control of their motorcycles.

Officers take the course to become better riders, as well as for insurance reasons, Mangas said.

“A person riding one of these bikes their entire life will come out here and they won’t make it through the first day, ” Mangas said.

Sunday’s tests involved navigating the motorcycles through cones, making figure-eight turns and performing “quick starts,” a maneuver where an officer guns the motorcycle’s engine while the handlebars are locked in a turn. If the officer fails to straighten the motorcycle, it will spin out from beneath him, Mangas said.

Later in the week, officers will move on to more complicated moves, such as a doughnut turn during which officers lock their handlebars and spin 360 degrees in a coned-off circle only inches wider than the circumference of a spinning motorcycle.

Mangas said in the most difficult test officers must slow the motorcycles into two jogged turns at 40 miles per hour and then perform an immediate 90-degree turn.

Despite the difficulty, Mangas said, each officer is determined to gain certification.

“We’re going to get everybody through this,” Mangas said.

The motorcycles used in the tests are padded to ensure the safety of the officers.

Evanston has a long history of motorcycle officers.

Mangas said the EPD was one of the first departments in the country to have officers on motorcycles in 1908.

“The Michigan state police may have beaten us by about a week,” Mangas said.

Though the program is new to the five officers seeking certification, Mangas said the program soon will become mandatory for all officers on motorcycles to refresh the officers’ skill and technique.

Mangas said the officers participating in Sunday’s course exceeded his expectations.

“For day one, we did really well,” Mangas said.

Motorcycles often are used to navigate through funeral processions and motorcades.

When Princess Diana visited Evanston in 1996, motorcycle officers acted as escorts and helped provide security.

Mangas said motorcycle officers also are important for stopping cars that pass through stop signs and red lights because they are less visible than a patrol car.

“They are a great deterrent to crime because they are hard to see,” Mangas said.